Saturday, February 20, 2010

I'm so excited about this challenge! Gilmore Girls was my favorite show and I still watch reruns all the time (when my dad messed my cable up the DVDs were all I had to watch :P), and I've always wanted to read what Rory read- which is a lot. She took a book with her everywhere- like I do :) (I even took one with me to lunch last year... that didn't work out so well :P)

General rules (copied from the official blog, found here... hope I'm not breaking any rules):

The challenge will officially run from January 1, 2010 through December 31, 2010. You can begin reading now and anything that you're not more than half way through right now can be counted.Crossover books from other challenges are allowed. A lot of the books on the list have also been made into movies and those will count as well.

There are three levels of participation:

Emily: Read 5 books from at least two different categories.Lorelai: Read 10 books from at least three different categories.Rory: Read 20 books from at least four different categories.

High Fidelity by Nick Hornby Pride and Prejudice by Jane AustenFranny and Zooey by JD SalingerWho's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward AlbeeA Room of One's Own by Virginia WoolfAtonement by Ian McEwanA Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway1984 by George OrwellAs I Lay Dying by William FaulknerLeaves of Grass by Walt Whitman

I was going to read that book about The Velvet Underground, but I don't know what it is/can't find it :P But I LOVE VU! And I was also going to The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood- has anyone read it and liked it? I'm not sure, I might read it just for fun. Another that didn't make the cut was Swann's Way- I'm reading it, but no way would I EVER review it. There's a sure way to make me look like the biggest dork ever :P

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Title: Before I Fall Author: Lauren OliverPublisher/Release Date: Harper Collins (March 2, 2010)Pages: 480Rating: * * * * */5Summary: What if you had only one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all: the world's most crush-worthy boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and first pick of everything at Thomas Jefferson High—from the best table in the cafeteria to the choicest parking spot. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life.

Instead, it turns out to be her last.

Then she gets a second chance. Seven chances, in fact. Reliving her last day during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death—and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.

*************

I've put off my review of Before I Fall for a few days because I didn't have words to describe how much I loved it. Is it too early to declare this as my favorite book as 2010?

First off, the characters. They were horrible at first, and kind of hard toconnect with for me- I guess it's because I'm a geek and am nothing like people like the mean, pretty girl Sam and her friends were. But that quickly changed- I quickly felt more and more connected to them, despite how horrible they were, and kept hoping Sam could realize what terrible creatures he and her friends were, and could save herself, her friends- and Juliet. I liked Sam, not because she was a good person by any means, but because she told the truth, in a tone full of almost unsettling candidness. They were all very well-crafted, with plenty of detail- something you don't often see in a debut novel.

As to the plot, it was exciting, heart-racing and heart-breaking. It had something for everyone in it- romance, mystery, friendship and family, mystery, and teenage angst, all wrapped up in beautiful prose and tinged with fantasy and an almost supernatural element, with a satisfying, if heart-breaking, ending.

Speaking of the writing, it impressed me as well- unsettlingly and candidly, in a perfectly believable voice and tone, Sam reflected back in an almost wistful tone, with a slight sigh of regret to it, on her short life, her mistakes and regrets, on that final day- until, suddenly, we reach her death... and start all over the next morning. I loved seeing the choices Sam made each day she started over, seeing how the tiniest things, such as not being late- totally changed what was supposed to happen. Again, the writing was much more skilled that many debut novels.

"Before I Fall" is a haunting, heart-breaking, exciting and utterly worth reading new novel- buy it, I promise you won't regret it!

Many thanks to Lauren Oliver herself for giving me a complimentary review copy.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Note: This excerpt is from an uncorrected advance proof, and may not be the same as the corrected, complete version.

I started reading In A Heartbeat last night- I am in love, I couldn't put it down! The writing flows like poetry, and this teaser is what I think is a good example of it.

For those of you that don't know, Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme in which people share excerpts from books they're currently reading- NO SPOILERS!

This is from page 6 of In A Heartbeart, by Loretta Ellsworth:

I think I'm dead. Really dead, as in no longer on Earth. I feel removed from my body, like a balloon that someone let loose and is floating up into the ozone. I try to push through it, but it's like pushing through water- more fog fills the gap. If I'm dead, I hope I don't have to stay here forever- I hate gray. I'm more of a purple person, like Grandma. "Help!" I shout. no one answers. I feel alone and it scares me. I don't want to be here. I want to be back at home finishing my performance. Or at home in my bed, having a bad dream. Or even in the hospital, drugged up and hurt, with a bad headache, but still alive. The only thing keeping me from screaming is that my life is playing out in bits and pieces in front of me. You know how when people on TV die, their lives flash before their eyes? That's kind of how it is for me. Fragments of my life are laid out in front of me like a photo album. All I have to do is remember a moment and there it all is. Every detail! Of course, right now all I can do is focus on the negative. Some things don't change with death. I'm starting with the last meal I ate, my own personal Last Supper.

I know this is kind of odl news to some of you- I heard it months ago- but I just saw that HarperTeen confirmed that: a) Disney is directing it, and b) MILEY CIRUS is going to be the star.

Is there a person in the world approving of this? I love Wings, what I've read of it (the librarian saw it in my bag when it was way overdue and got all furious on me and said i had to give it back... eep!)- and as of late, I don't think Disney has been doing such a good job of their movies like this. And Miley Cirus? She can't act!I'm sorry, but... NO.

What do you guys think? Pro, con, neutral? I jsut don't want to see this really excellent book not done justice to.

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About Me

Hey, I'm Meggin, otaku extraordinaire. I love anime and manga (esp. drawing it), cooking, reading, music (vinyl), and I've recently gotten into making my own clothes and accessories. I'm opening an Etsy store soon, so look for that if handmade kitschy stuff like that is your thing :) Also, some random unimportant stuff (feel free to leave now): My favorite foods are sushi and green tea ice cream (not together... :/), my favorite color is Robin's Egg Blue, and you have no IDEA how much I want to live in a big city (e.g., Portland or New York) instead of the South. Also, I break things. A lot.